As I disappear for a few days for family festivities, I’d like to leave you with this final thought.

Technology is changing all our lives. What was impossible a few years ago is now not merely possible but quite straightforward. It’s advances in technology that make the creation of content such as the Boots advert with all the women quite feasible.

Previously, it would have been a logistical nightmare to get so many people in one place. Now, though, it’s quite simple to just buy a couple of CDs off eBay and have the contact details of all the extras for an advert that you might ever need. And you know in advance from the information’s provenance that they’d all be happy with an extra bob or two.

I know, deep in my heart of hearts, that this year’s events will revolutionize such simple human efforts as the blockbuster fight scene, the assembly of crowds to bolster weakly attended telethons, and tracking down people you want to give a kicking to. We live in wonderful times. Merry Christmas.